Florida school district unanimously votes to keep Bible in libraries after atheist complaint
A Florida school district shut down a challenge from an atheist activist to remove the Bible from school libraries in a unanimous vote Wednesday evening.
A Florida school district voted unanimously to keep the Bible in school libraries, after it faced a complaint the book was too "controversial."
"The Superintendent’s Review Committee, created this year to comply with a state law allowing parents to challenge books, voted unanimously Wednesday to keep the book on district library shelves," Florida paper the Sun Sentinel reported on Thursday.
The religious book faced a complaint by local atheist activist Chaz Stevens, who said the book was "too sensitive or controversial for a typical classroom setting," because of its sexual and violent content.
The Bible is already permitted to be studied in Florida schools, through "a secular program of education including, but not limited to, an objective study of the Bible and of religion."
Stevens told Fox News Digital that he is a First Amendment advocate, but he challenged the book to highlight the hypocrisy of conservative activists, like Moms for Liberty.
The parental rights group with over 300 chapters across 48 states, is frequently behind challenges to sexually explicit books in school libraries. The group was also present at the school board meeting to defend the book with other conservative parents.
"The Bible does not violate state law. It’s not graphic at all. It’s actually very tame compared to a lot of the books that are in Broward County schools right now," Corie Pinero, Broward County chapter leader for Moms for Liberty said at the Wednesday meeting.
Stevens said he expected the committee to deny his challenge but he plans to continue fighting against the Bible for its "casual reference to rape, bestiality, cannibalism and slavery, to name a few", before the entire school board.
"What’s the cultural or literary value of teaching about drunken orgies to those in third grade?" he asked.
In April 2022, Stevens sent 62 superintendents in Florida a request to ban the Bible, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Broward Schools did not immediately return a request for comment.
Retired district librarian Elaine Aaron, who serves on the committee, said the Bible was relevant for students to study like other religious texts.
"It is important for world studies. I believe the Bible should be on the shelf. I also think the Torah and Quran should on shelves as well, especially in high schools," Aaron told the Sentinel. "Students need the materials to make their own decisions."
In 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law empowering parents to challenge books they deem inappropriate in school libraries or on reading lists in classrooms.
When faced with lawsuits by parents upset by the state law, Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody argued that public schools have the right to remove books they find inappropriate for children.
In the spring, the Bible faced challenges in Utah after a parent complained that it contained "inappropriate and pornographic" material forced it to face a school district committee review.
Fox News' Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
